War of the Elements
by TranscodeNightCat
Summary: A powerful card has been stolen from a school deep in the mountains. It has surfaced at Duel Academy. Now, eight students, each gifted in their own element are heading to Duel Academy to reclaim the lost card. This story takes place after the Society of Light Incident.
1. Chapter 1

"Elemental HERO Flame Wingman, finish this duel!" A boy shouted as his monster shot a fireball at a boy wearing a blue jacket. He watched his life points fall to zero. "And that's game." He smiled adjusting his red jacket and walking off the stage. He looked around the stadium and saw one of the seats in the professors' section empty. "Huh, Chancellor Sheppard doesn't usually miss a tournament."

A short blue-haired boy interrupted him from his thoughts. "Jaden, nice work out there."

"Thanks Sy." He smiled as they walked to catch up with their friends.

"Have you guys seen Chancellor Sheppard?" A girl known as Alexis asked looking around the room.

"Haven't seen him." Tyranno Hassleberry chimed in.

"It must be something important for him to be missing the opening rounds." Bastion said stroking his chin.

"All I know is that the tournament isn't slowing down because he isn't here." Chazz said walking away. "Make sure to keep up."

"He isn't wrong. I need to go work on my deck." Syrus said waving before running off.

"Great job out there, Jaden!" Blair said running over.

"Thanks." He smiled. "I'm going to have this tournament in the bag."

"I wouldn't say that. You still have to beat me." Alexis responded. "I've been tuning my deck, and I'm ready to go."

"Can't wait to see you on the field." Jaden smiled. Alexis nodded her head walking off with Blair following behind her.

"I need to be going too." Bastion said. "I have to retune all of my decks."

"See ya." Jaden said watching him walk off. "I look forward to your duel."

"I won't disappoint." He smiled and winked before disappearing.

"I'll catch you later soldier. I'm going to go work out for a bit." Hassleberry said walking off.

"I have to get ready too. Maybe after a nap." He yawned walking off.

 _Meanwhile…_

"Pegasus, I'm surprised that you came all the way out here to talk about this issue."

"Well, I never like seeing duelists get hurt like this." He said motioning to the images being projected in front of them. Each showed a student laying unconsciously covered in bruises. "What do you suppose the cause is, Chancellor?"

"I was hoping you knew." Chancellor Sheppard said looking a bit worried.

"I have my theory, and after some analysis from our satellites, it's been mostly confirmed. A few months ago, I was contacted by the headmaster of a school located deep in the mountains. He said that a sacred card was taken from one of their temples. He said the user would be incredibly dangerous and the card would only make it worse. I believe that duelist is on this island. That is why we're going to pay him a visit to discuss actions to take."

"Why do I need to come?" He asked.

"Well, the headmaster told me that they would like to reclaim the card themselves, but I know how important the safety of your students is to you, and the island is under your jurisdiction. I was hoping we could come to some form of agreement."

"Why? Are these students of his dangerous?"

"I paid them a visit once years ago, and one recently. They are incredibly gifted and skilled duelists with powers and skills that go leaps and bounds beyond normal duelists in and out of duels."

"If it means that these attacks stop, there isn't a moment to lose. Let's get going." He shut off the projector before following Pegasus out of his office.

 _Several hours later…_

A helicopter flew high as it moved through the mountains. "Sir, we're approaching the landing." A voice said over the intercom.

"About time." Pegasus said stretching out in his seat. "Look out the window Chancellor, and take sight of the mountain of elements. It's a sight like no other."

He looked out the side seeing so many unique environments in one place. He saw small bodies running on the ground. "It's incredible."

"Yes, and they're expecting us." Pegasus said fastening his seatbelt while the helicopter began to descend lower.

Once the blades stopped spinning, Pegasus was the first to step out of the helicopter. Chancellor Sheppard followed behind him. A young teen wearing a gi ran over to them. He bowed. "I have been given instructions to take you to the headmaster."

"Lead the way." Pegasus smiled walking behind him.

"It is nice to see you again Pegasus."

"You too. How has training been going?"

"Well." He said continuing to walk. They walked up stairs made of stone. They took notice of some of the students sweeping and washing them. The boy took notice of their stares. "The students here practice discipline in all forms." At the top of the stares was an old looking temple. The boy walked inside and back out. "You may go in now." He bowed to them before walking off.

An older man was kneeling at a table in the bare room. Stone statues of duel monsters lined the walls. "Maximillion Pegasus and Chancellor Sheppard of Duel Academy I presume. An honor to meet you."

"You as well." Pegasus said bowing.

Chancellor Sheppard followed suit. "Truly a pleasure to meet you."

The man snapped his fingers. A boy and girl ran over. One set a teapot in front of them and the other sat cups down for each of them. He snapped his fingers once more dismissing them. "Tea?" He asked filling each cup. "I promise it will be some of the best tea you have ever had."

"I can't pass up your tea Master Shinziro. I may have to make time in my schedule to come here to have tea with you more often."

"I would certainly appreciate the company." He smiled sipping from his cup. "And you Chancellor?"

He took a sip, and his eyes went wide. "This is incredible. You would do great selling this on the market."

"That will not happen. This tea is cultivated here in the mountain and is infused with the elements here. I can not and will not have commercial values to corrupt this sacred place."

"Very sorry." He apologized.

"Do not worry. That is not the first time that someone has said that. I know you meant no harm by it."

"While we all love tea and all, there is a more pressing matter to discuss." Pegasus sighed.

"Yes, I am well aware." Master Shinziro sighed. "I had a student practicing to be a master of the dark element. He was infuriated. He stole the sacred dark card and took off. He is a disgrace to our practices here."

"Yes, and now he seems to have made his way to Duel Academy. He is attacking the students there and causing trouble." Pegasus added in. "That is why I have brought the Chancellor. Now, we can come up with an agreement and solution to our problem."

"Wait, how powerful is this card?" The Chancellor asked.

"Quite powerful." Shinziro began. "Long ago, nine warriors discovered these mountains and built a school to train others to master the elements like them. By the time they reached old age, they collected several students, but none were worthy to match them. Under an agreement, they all sealed their souls in cards. When they find a worthy warrior, they shall be granted their power. Unfortunately, they have not found worthy heirs yet. However, under my guidance, there have been several duelists here who show the qualities to possess their power."

"And this student stole that power?" Chancellor Sheppard asked growing concerned.

"Yes, but I feel that he can not control it fully only emphasizing his negative qualities."

Pegasus sipped his tea not bothering to interrupt them; he knew his place as the deliveryman.

"So your plan?" The Chancellor asked.

"I will send my eight best students to your academy to defeat this enemy."

"I am concerned for the safety of my students on that matter."

"So how can I make you feel better about my students? They are incredibly disciplined."

"As you know Duel Academy is under my jurisdiction." He nodded his head continuing to listen. "Perhaps they can come to our school as exchange students thus transferring your jurisdiction over them to me."

"If that is the case, I want them to receive some special privileges."

"Go on." Chancellor Sheppard said eager to listen.

"You will administer the entrance examination to them and place them accordingly. I want you to punish them for their infractions harshly. They are disciplined and should not disgrace this school with rash behavior. The only punishment they can not have is expulsion."

"That is very reasonable. Although your punishment bothers me."

"It's fine. I will send you a list of punishments you can administer. If you want, you can even make your own."

"It doesn't sound like you want them to receive any special treatment at all."

"Exactly. I want them to be treated like normal students. If that is agreeable, I can take you to meet them."

"I agree." Chancellor Sheppard said shaking the headmaster's hand.

"Wonderful." He stood up. "Let's go meet my students." He walked out of the temple with the Chancellor and Pegasus following behind him. They walked down a path the sky growing a bit darker, but everything was still visible. "Welcome to the dark element training grounds. Here students learn how to duel in the shadows. You may see a few students dueling around, but the main battles and training always occur at the temple." He continued walking until they approached several kids practicing their draw while wearing blindfolds. They did not miss a beat. Master Shinziro looked at the top to see a girl leading their exercises. "Rena, we have guests."

"Continue your training." She walked over to them. She wore a short black cloak that seemed to turn into a skirt. The sleeves billowed out at the ends. In her hand was a scythe that also appeared to be a duel disk.

She pulled down her hood revealing her purple hair. "Master Shinziro and guests, welcome to the dark." She bowed to them. "Have you found my card?"

"Yes Rena, but you and the others will be going to Duel Academy to retrieve it. Chancellor Sheppard was kind enough to allow you an invitation to attend Duel Academy with his students."

"I'm going to make Xander pay for disrespecting the dark. Shall I gather the others for you?"

"No, I would like to show our guests our training grounds."

"I understand."

"Wait, you teach the students here? You're no older than the students at Duel Academy." Chancellor Sheppard looked surprised.

"Yes, I have trained the hardest and the most extensively in the darkness. Under the guidance of Master Shinziro, I was deemed worthy by him to be the teacher for the dark students. Of course, a student can learn just as much if not more by training on their own."

"Rena exhibits the qualities to be a dark master. She is powerful enough to have forged an alliance with the Dark Magician himself and a relationship with the light teacher."

Rena blushed at the end of his statement. "Thank you for your praise master." She bowed.

"Thank you for your time Rena. We must be going now." Master Shinziro smiled leading the Chancellor and Pegasus away with him. They continued walking turning down another path. The sky grew brighter. As they grew closer to the main grounds, they could see students dueling. A boy with blonde hair and blue eyes was walking around looking at their hands and giving advice to them. He wore a white dress shirt and long pants. On his arm was a duel disk that resembled a shield in its shape and design; it was white with a gold trim. He paused his teaching and ran over to the group.

"Master Shinziro and guests, what do I owe this honorable presence?"

"Paul, this is Maximillion Pegasus and Chancellor Sheppard of Duel Academy." He then turned. "This is Paul, he commands Shinato, King of a Higher Plane. Paul controls the light in his duels." He then turned to Paul. "We are preparing for you and the others to attend Duel Academy. The chancellor has been kind enough to allow you the opportunity to attend and reclaim the lost card."

"Thank you for your generosity." He bowed to them. "I look forward to our meeting later."

"We must be going now." Master Shinziro said walking away. They turned down another path. This one was a bit longer. It lead into a grassy meadow with large boulders scattered about. "This one is a bit special. I mentioned nine elements, but there are eight masters. This student of mine has managed to merge the grass and earth elements into one."

"Intriguing." Pegasus said looking around. He watched the students harvesting crops while he saw others punch boulders.

"It's even more intriguing that most of these students do not yet possess full decks." Master Shinziro said smiling. "Bruno believes that with hard work students can become better people. Watch closely." He pointed to some students harvesting apples from some of the trees. They watched the students picking apples and throwing them into baskets below. On one of the higher branches, they watched one of them grab a card that was hidden on one of the branches.

"Interesting style of teaching." Chancellor Sheppard said stroking his chin.

"Bruno should be around." Master Shinziro said looking around.

"How do you expect me to break a boulder?" A girl asked plopping down on the ground.

"You must start small and practice." A shirtless boy said shattering the boulder with a single kick; his body was very muscular, his skin was tan, his hair was black and short, and his duel disk looked like part of a tree stump. He picked up the card that was laying underneath the boulder. "You can't just do the bare minimum if you want to be great. To be great, you need to do more than the bare minimum. After your work today, perhaps you should go with some of the others and break some boards."

"I'll try." She stood up and walked off.

"Bruno." Master Shinziro called out to him. The boy walked over standing tall. "You will be going to Duel Academy to retrieve the lost card. This is the headmaster of Duel Academy and Maximillion Pegasus."

"Do the students there work hard?" He asked.

"Most of them." The chancellor said slightly intimidated by his appearance. He took notice of two straps on his arms. Each strap was around a deck box. "Two decks?"

"One for the master of grass and one for the master of earth." He responded.

"You will find Bruno to be calm, modest, powerful, and at times a little surprising. He works hard, never takes shortcuts, he holds the values of both masters close to heart." Master Shinziro said praising him.

"You are too kind." He smiled. "If you will excuse me, I must return to my work." He ran off going to help some students trying to break boulders.

"I suppose we can go meet the other students now." Master Shinziro said preparing to walk off.

A younger student walked over holding something in his hands. "Master Shinziro, I carved you this walking stick."

Master Shinziro took the wooden stick from him and held it in his hands examining the intricate carvings and design. "Your hard work is evident in this masterpiece. I must thank you for the kind gesture." He reached into his robe and handed the boy a card.

"Thank you." He smiled running off with the card in his hands.

"On with the walk then." He smiled leaning on the stick for support as he walked. "I should have given him two cards." He chuckled picking up speed.

"Quite the loyal and caring students." Pegasus said eyeing the stick.

"Common values I try to instill here." He responded. The sky started to grow dark as they walked.

"Weren't we already here?" Pegasus asked looking around.

"Look again." Master Shinziro said pointing to the sky. Flashes of light shot down striking the ground.

"Is this place safe?" Chancellor Sheppard asked.

"It's not the safest, but the students enjoy it." Master Shinziro said pointing to several students who were standing around with metal poles in their hands. "They like to make games out of it." They walked for a bit more until they stopped at a small building. Out front, a boy with highlighted, spiked hair wearing a black t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans and sneakers was sitting. On his arm, he had a duel disk shaped like a lightning bolt. In his lap was a laptop that he was looking at intently. He paused to type something before returning to looking. He looked up again seeing Master Shinziro staring at him.

He closed the laptop and stood up. "Sorry, I was watching the students dueling."

"Ray is very into technology." Master Shinziro commented. "He also perfectly embodies the values of the lightning master, to destroy and to create. With Gilford the Lightning, he is quite powerful."

"I mostly enjoy tag dueling." He said shaking the hands of Pegasus and the chancellor.

"We're here to…" Master Shinziro was cut off by Ray.

"Talk about going to Duel Academy to retrieve Rena's card."

Master Shinziro hit him on the head with his walking stick. "What have I told you about interrupting?"

"Sorry, I'm just so excited. I heard that you guys have state of the art fields, computer systems, everything."

"Thank you." Chancellor Sheppard smiled.

"You are forgiven. I still have to introduce our guests to the others. I will talk to you soon." Master Shinziro said walking off with the chancellor and Pegasus. Ray returned to his laptop typing a few things.

They continued walking. The sky remained dark. The air started to grow thick and hot. Smoke could be seen in the distance. "Hot out here." Pegasus said rubbing a few beads of sweat from his forehead.

"Element of fire." Master Shinziro said unaffected by the heat.

"Let's hurry this one up." Pegasus said growing a bit irritable.

"Agreed." Chancellor Sheppard said rubbing his forehead.

"Not much farther you two." Master Shinziro said pointing to one of the peaks. They saw a girl wearing a flowing black robe with a red trim. Under it was a black skirt and a red t-shirt. Her black hair was tied off in a ponytail that went to the middle of her back.

They watched her walk down towards them. The duel disk on her arm resembled the shape of a flame. "Master Shinziro." She bowed. She stared at them with her fiery, orange eyes.

"Aria." Master Shinziro smiled.

"Where would your students be?" Pegasus asked looking around.

"They train individually." She responded. "Some duel, some stand on hot coals, some start fires. I don't particularly care. You can't control a wild flame."

"The master of The Blazing Mars. I'm hoping you will see us later to talk about your attendance to Duel Academy to find our lost card."

"I'll be there. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a challenger." She pointed to a girl standing on her peak.

"Perfectly alright, I'm sure that these two need to get out of the heat." Master Shinziro pointed to Pegasus and Chancellor Sheppard who were both sweating. "Come, we still have some more people to meet." He started walking off with Pegasus and Chancellor Sheppard trudging behind him.

After escaping the heat, the group found themselves in a lush, meadow area. "A stream!" Chancellor Sheppard shouted excitedly splashing his face with some cool water. "That's nice."

"You can do that at the lake." Master Shinziro pointed down the path towards a large lake where students were fishing, dueling, and playing in the water.

"And what card does the water master control?" Pegasus asked curious.

"Water Dragon, of course." Master Shinziro smiled walking down the path leaning on his new walking stick for support. They walked down to the lake. Some of the students walked by carrying baskets of fish. "Good job out there."

"Thank you, Master Shinziro." They smiled walking off with their haul.

They watched two students stand on stones dueling. A girl on a jet ski pulled up behind one of them. She seemed to be giving instructions to them. They then watched him make his move. "I play Rush Recklessly and give my Suijin an extra 700 attack points. Suijin, finish this!" Their opponent fell off their stone into the water when their life points hit zero.

The girl on the jet ski sped over and picked them up. They held her back while she brought them to shore. "You did great out there. Work on your traps." She pulled into the dock and got off seeing Master Shinziro.

"Pegasus, Sheppard, this is Amy, the water teacher."

"Hi." She smiled looking at them. Her hair was dark blue, short and tied off into a ponytail. She wore a pair of short jean shorts and a blue, short-sleeved jacket. She had biker gloves on her hands. On her arm was a duel disk shaped like a wave of water.

"Chancellor Sheppard has invited you to attend Duel Academy to help retrieve the lost dark card."

"Do you guys have jet skis?" She asked a bit excited.

"We have some money in the budget for some." Chancellor Sheppard smiled rubbing the back of his head.

"Awesome. I'll see you guys there." She bowed before hopping on to her jet ski and speeding off.

"Fast girl." Pegasus commented.

"She's usually calm, but I think she's a bit excited to go somewhere new." Master Shinziro said pointing down the path to the next element area. "Chancellor, I must thank you for setting aside some money for my students."

"It's no problem, really."

"It was a very generous act on your part. Thank you."

"Anything I can do to help." Chancellor Sheppard smiled following him up hill into a more mountainous area.

Pegasus ducked a little bit trying to stand his ground while a large wind hit the group. "Welcome to the wind training grounds."

Pegasus heard music playing further ahead. "What a beautiful tune." He commented.

"Students here like to play certain instruments to reflect their abilities. The flute is very popular up here." Master Shinziro told him as they walked to the top of one of the cliffs. They witnessed students wearing wingsuits gliding along the breeze.

"What a view!" Pegasus exclaimed. He then looked around to see students in circles playing flutes and other woodwind instruments.

"So where is the wind teacher?" Chancellor Sheppard asked looking around.

"Up there." Master Shinzior pointed to a higher cliff. A boy sat up there meditating. "Shun!" He shouted calling the boy.

His eyes opened, he stood up, jumped down, and knelt before the group. "Master Shinziro."

"Shun, stand up." Master Shinziro instructed. "This is Shun, the wind teacher. He commands Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry and Simorgh, Bird of Divinity."

He brushed back the black bangs over his green eyes and examined the group. He pulled down the fabric covering his mouth and the hood over his head revealing the mess of shaggy black hair. His shirt was short sleeved and a very dark green. He had a leather strap over his shoulder with a pouch at the bottom. His pants were black. Boots were on his feet. His duel disk looked standard, but it was green with a silver trim; the lights were silver colored. "What can I do for you?"

"We'll be having a meeting soon about retrieving the dark card. You and the others will be going to Duel Academy. Speaking of which, how is Aaron?"

"He's still in the cave."

"Would you mind talking to him?"

"No problem." Shun pulled up his hood and the fabric over his mouth before walking off.

"Who is this Aaron fellow?" Chancellor Sheppard asked.

"We can talk about it while we walk to his training ground." Master Shinziro pointed to a path with bits of snow on the ground. The group started walking down the path. "Aaron is the ice teacher, technically, but lately he has been designating the responsibility to other students."

"How does he do that?" Chancellor Sheppard asked.

"He's established this method from all of the other times he's gone into solitary. He'll give a student a card and they will bring him his meal for the day and train the others. At the end of the day, they will pass the card to a student they think is better than them. If they can not pass it, he will duel them and take the card away. His training is harsh and cold."

"What's he like?" Chancellor Sheppard asked.

"He prefers to be alone, like the original ice master. He's smart and strong as well. I asked Shun to go talk to him because he is the only person Aaron really trusts and confides in. Also, Shun can navigate that labyrinth of a cave that he disappears into. He commands General Grunard of the Ice Barrier."

"Why is he in solitary?" Pegasus asked as they reached the training grounds; they were covered in ice. A student stood at the top of a snow bank showing spell cards to the others.

"He saw Xander when he stole the card. Aaron challenged him to a duel and lost. He was ashamed of his defeat and hid away in that cave." Master Shinziro looked at the setting sun. "The meeting should be starting soon. How about we go back to the temple." He started walking off with the others following him.

 _Later…_

A boy with white hair sat at the end of a cave staring at his reflection in the ice; light blue eyes stared back at him. His clothing was similar to Shun's but his shirt was white and his duel disk resembled a chunk of ice; it sat on the floor next to him.

 _"_ _Vampire Genesis, finish him." A smug smile appeared on a boy's face while Aaron fell on to his back in defeat. "See ya, ice loser."_

Aaron winced still feeling the attack.

"You okay?" Shun asked entering the cave.

"Fine." Aaron mumbled. "Just thinking."

Shun threw a brochure at him. "Think about this." Aaron picked it up and looked at the front; it was a picture of an island with a large building on it.

"Duel Academy?" Aaron asked confused.

"Xander's hiding out on the island. We're all going as exchange students. Helicopter leaves tomorrow so we can go take entrance exams. Then we go to the island. I'm hoping that you'll think about it."

"I will." Aaron responded opening up the brochure.

"I hope you decide to come." Shun walked off leaving Aaron alone.

"Something to think about." Aaron flipped through it reading carefully before moving on to the rulebook.

 **I am aware that the characters are a bit underdeveloped, but I hope to progress them as the story progresses. I hope that you bare with me.**


	2. Chapter 2

A large helicopter touched down in the mountains. Aaron sat on a rock with a duffel bag sitting on the ground next to him. He shuffled his deck once more before putting it in the holster on the leather strap he wore. He took notice of the others approaching.

"You decided to come." Shun smiled running over to him.

"I want to get Xander, and I'm not doing that here."

"Glad to know that you have common sense." Master Shinziro said.

Bruno walked with a bag in his hand that he held over his shoulder. He wore a white button down shirt with the top three buttons undone. "Whoa, you own a shirt." Ray said running up to him. He had a duffel bag as well as a computer bag over his shoulder.

"Dress code requires a shirt." Bruno responded.

"Ready for this?" Paul held Rena's hand while they walked together.

"I just want my card back."

"Can't forget about studying." Paul said pulling a small book from his pocket.

"Yeah." She responded smiling weakly.

"You can't forget about fun too." Amy ran by with a fishing pole attached to her backpack.

"Should be interesting." Aria said throwing her bag into the helicopter.

"Come on guys. Follow Aria's lead!" Paul tossed his bag into the helicopter and jumped in.

Aaron turned to Shun. "There's something bad the cave didn't have." He whispered.

"What?" He asked.

"Paul." Aaron responded. "Too happy and perfect."

"You know he tried to teach my students." Shun said getting into the helicopter.

"One of my students said he tried taking away the leader card. They played king of the hill that day. He thinks that he knows everything." Aaron got into the helicopter and found his seat next to Shun.

"Did you guys study?" Paul asked putting his head between them.

"Yeah." Aaron responded slightly annoyed.

"Definitely." Shun said with fake enthusiasm.

"Can't wait to see you guys in Obelisk Blue!"

"Definitely." Shun repeated with the same fake enthusiasm.

Aaron waited until Paul was back in his seat studying. "You realize I'm not here to be the best of the best. I'm here to get the card. I'm keeping a low profile while I'm here."

"You have a plan?"

"Always." Aaron responded.

 _Two days later…_

Amy, Aria, Paul, Rena, Ray, Bruno, Aaron, and Shun sat in a testing room. Each of them sat at their own desk with two sharpened pencils in front of them. A proctor sat a booklet in front of each of them. "You will have two hours to complete your exam. There is no talking, no breaks, and no cheating. The test consists of seventy-five multiple-choice questions followed by ten short answer questions. You may begin." He pressed a button causing a clock to appear at the front of the room.

Shun looked over at Aaron who was looking at the back page of the book. He opened up the back of his book and saw the scoring rubric. _What's he up to?_ He looked at Aaron who was now answering questions in his book. He moved to the front of his book and started to do the same.

Partway through the test, Aaron stood up and brought his test book to the front. "I'm finished."

The proctor looked at the clock and then him. "You're sure? You answered all the questions, dark bubbles, checked your work?"

"I promise that the questions I answered are correct." Aaron walked out of the room leaving the others to finish their tests.

 _He's not trying._ Shun smiled twiddling the pencil in his hand. He answered a few more questions before turning to the back of the book. He answered a few more questions to be safe before walking to the front with his book. "Hey, I'm done too." He ran out of the room to go catch up with Aaron. "Hey, how was the test?" He watched Aaron put some money into a vending machine and two cans of soda fall out.

"It was pretty easy." He handed one of the cans to Shun.

"Must have been. You were the first to finish." He said sarcastically. "Duels start in a couple of hours. You ready for that?"

"I just need to win. I can do that." Aaron sipped from his can continuing to talk with Shun.

 _A little while later…_

"Shinato, let's finish this together!" Paul called out destroying his opponent's monster and reducing their life points to zero. He walked over to a table where he was presented with an Obelisk Blue uniform. "I had no doubts in my mind."

 _…_

Ray looked at his hand. "I tribute Thunder Nyan Nyan and my two Thunder Sea Horses to summon Gilford the Lightning. Now all of your monsters are destroyed." He smiled. "Gilford the Lightning, hit them with all you have." His monster charged forward and slashed the proctor with a blast of electricity that reduced their life points to zero. Ray walked over to the table and received a Ra Yellow uniform. "Not bad."

 _…_

"Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, let's bring this duel to an end." Bruno ordered watching his monster strike his opponent directly reducing their life points to zero. He walked over to the table and received a Ra Yellow uniform.

 _…_

"Water Dragon, strike them directly!" Amy ordered.

The proctor interrupted her. "I activate Mirror Force. Your attack position monsters are destroyed."

Amy remained calm watching her monster get destroyed. "When Water Dragon is destroyed, I can summon two Hydrogeddons and an Oxygeddon from my graveyard. All three of you, strike at once!" Amy smiled as the duel ended. She walked over to the table and collected her Obelisk Blue girl's uniform.

 _…_

Rena drew her card. "I could see the outcome of this duel from the beginning, past the darkness." She twirled her scythe placing a card on the blade. "I activate the spell Dark Magic Curtain. By halving my life points, I will summon Dark Magician from my deck. Now, the effect of my Dark Magical Circle activates. I banish your Ancient Gear Golem. I also activate the spell Dark Magic attack. By having Dark Magician on my field I can destroy all of your spells and traps." She smiled watching her monster destroy their three facedown cards leaving them wide open for an attack. "Dark Magician, use your dark powers to end this duel." She watched her monster blast her opponent reducing their life points to zero. She walked over to the table like the others and received her Obelisk Blue girl's uniform.

 _…_

Aria stared at the card in her hand and the monster she was facing, Ancient Gear Golem. She then looked at her two facedown cards. _This duel is mine._ "I banish three monsters from my graveyard to summon The Blazing Mars from my hand."

"You can't beat me with that weak flame." The proctor smirked.

"That's not how I'm going to beat you. I activate the trap, Fire Darts. When I have no cards in my hand, I can activate this card. I roll a die three times. You take 100 points of damage equal to the sum of my rolls." She rolled the first die watching it land on one; a dart hovered near her. She rolled again landing on four; four more darts appeared. She rolled the last one watching it land on five. There were now ten darts hovering near her. She snapped her fingers and watched them fly at the proctor. Their life points fell from 2100 to 1100.

"You need more than that to finish me."

"Then it's a good thing that I have another Fire Darts." She revealed her other trap card. She rolled the first time landing on three. The second time she landed on six and the third time, she landed on six again. The darts appeared around her. She snapped her fingers and watched the darts fly reducing the proctor's life points to zero. She walked over to the table and collected her Obelisk Blue girl's uniform as well. "Blue isn't my color." She walked off.

 _…_

Aaron looked at his field to see General Grunard of the Ice Barrier on his field. The proctor's Cosmo Queen appeared to be stronger. "General Grunard's ability allows me to normal summon another Ice Barrier monster this turn. I summon Samurai of the Ice Barrier and I'm going to tribute it to summon Royal Knight of the Ice Barrier. With its ability, I summon an Ice Coffin Token to your field in attack mode." Aaron watched the token rise to the field with 1000 attack. "Grunard, finish this." His monster nodded its head slashing the token to pieces and reducing the proctor's life points to zero.

Aaron walked over to the table to collect his uniform. "Slifer Red, surprising." One of them said tossing him the uniform.

 _…_

Shun looked at his hand. "When you end your turn, Simorgh, Bird of Divinity will reduce your life points to zero. You have one card to draw, no cards in your hand, and no spells or traps on your field. Even if you draw one and play it, you will lose. It's only going to reduce the damage you take by 500 points and you have 300 life points left. I have two on my field, so I'm safe from the 1000 points of damage. Your move." Shun smiled looking at the two facedown cards he controlled.

The proctor drew his card and sighed. "I end my turn."

"And the duel." Shun smiled walking over to the table to collect his uniform.

"Another Slifer Red. I'm shocked." The proctor said handing him his uniform.

 _After the exams had concluded…_

The group sat in a waiting room waiting for a boat to take them to the academy.

Paul walked over to Aaron and Shun wearing his Obelisk Blue uniform. "What happened to you guys? I thought you studied hard."

"We did." Shun crossed his arms leaning back in his chair.

"Maybe you guys just didn't check your work. I mean you finished pretty fast."

"Yeah, that's it." Aaron said sarcastically. "You would be the one to wear the uniform."

"I mean, we're supposed to. Plus, it looks nice." Paul said admiring himself.

"Hey, boat's almost here." Amy said walking over to them.

"Awesome. Shun, let's get ready to go." Aaron grabbed his bag with Shun walking next to him with his.

"You're not wearing the uniform either?" Paul asked staring at Amy.

"I'm already wearing blue." She said grabbing her bag and walking away.

 _That evening at Duel Academy…_

Chancellor Sheppard stood in the main arena with a microphone in his hand while the students sat in the stands for the assembly. "Settle down everyone. Settle down. I have some announcements to make." The students in the stands quieted down. "First, our winner of the tournament, Syrus Truesdale!" The stands erupted into applause.

"Great job, Sy!" Jaden gave his friend a pat on the back as he stood up and walked on to the stage.

"Great job!" Bastion stood up clapping.

"I'm surprised that you lost." Alexis said nudging Jaden.

"It just wasn't my day." Jaden responded. He looked over to see Winged Kuriboh hovering. "We still had fun though, right?" The spirit nodded its head and smiled.

Meanwhile, Chazz had his head down and his arms crossed while Ojama Yellow hovered nearby. "It's okay that you lost, boss. We're not mad at you." It smiled.

"Go away." He tried moving it away with his hand. "At least Truesdale won. That's a nice change." He muttered under his breath.

Syrus took his seat while the chancellor continued to speak. "I will now turn over the microphone to Doctor Crowler who has a special announcement to make." The chancellor handed over the microphone and stepped back giving a slight nod.

Crowler received the microphone and adjusted his collar before speaking. "Ahem." He coughed a little. He pulled a notecard from his pocket. "It is with my pleasure that I introduce our new, gifted exchange students from The School of Elements." He read the card to himself again growing a bit excited. _Powerful duelists that can no doubt help me take those Slifers down a peg. Wonderful!_

"New students. Awesome." Jaden smiled.

"Should be fun." Alexis said paying close attention.

"These new students have taken the entrance exams and we have placed them accordingly. So without further ado, let's welcome our new students!" Crowler shouted into the microphone earning cheers from the students.

"It's a first I've seen him this excited." Jaden said. "He must be pumped for the new students."

"Indeed." Bastion chimed in.

"First, joining us in Obelisk Blue!" He paused allowing the blue-jacketed students to cheer. "We welcome with open arms, Paul!" Paul walked on to the stage waving to the crowd smiling. "Now for the girls!" This was followed by more cheers. "Please welcome, Rena, Aria, and Amy!" The girls took their place on stage.

Rena stared at the audience. _Some of these students can see duel spirits. Maybe they can help._ She looked at Jaden and then turned her attention to Chazz.

"Rena, are you okay?" Paul asked putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She moved away a little bit.

"Definitely a different style of dress." Hassleberry chimed in eyeing Rena's scythe duel disk.

Crowler looked at his notecard again. "Joining the ranks of Ra Yellow, we have Ray and Bruno!" The two duelists walked on to the stage earning applause from the yellow jackets.

"Way to go!" Bastion stood up and clapped.

"New recruits." Hassleberry clapped alongside Bastion.

"Let's welcome our new students!" Crowler shouted. However, his enthusiasm was interrupted by Chancellor Sheppard who walked behind him and whispered in his ear. "You mean…there are more of them?" The chancellor nodded his head. Crowler regained his composure and sighed grabbing the microphone. "It would seem that I have made a mistake. We have two more students joining us." He sighed. "Joining the slackers…I mean Slifers, we have Aaron and Shun." _How do we have slackers amongst the best students of an elite school? I need to make sure they don't want to come back._ Aaron and Shun walked on to the stage and stood with the rest of the group.

"Awesome!" Jaden shouted clapping for them amongst the few other Slifer Red students who had some pride for their dorm.

"Yes, now, let's make our new students feel at home. You are dismissed. Feel free to mingle with the new students." He walked over to the chancellor who was waiting.

"These students are not to be expelled Crowler, but their punishments are rather flexible. I was instructed to use this list or make up my own. I can leave that up to you." He handed Crowler the list.

"Any punishment I want." Crowler smiled mischievously with that knowledge. "Thank you chancellor. I'm sure that they won't be a problem."

"Good." Chancellor Sheppard smiled walking off.

Bastion walked over to Amy. "Hello. I'm Bastion Misawa. If you don't mind me asking, what is your ace card?"

"Oh, Water Dragon." Amy smiled pulling the card from her pocket.

"Mine too!" Bastion pulled the card from his pocket.

"That's awesome." She blushed a little.

Just then, two Obelisk Blue girls swooped in and grabbed Amy's arms. "Hey newbie. You don't need to be hanging around Ra boys. We'll show you your room and stuff. Maybe have a little party tonight for our new roomies."

"Sorry, I'll catch up with you later." Amy pouted being dragged away.

"Definitely." Bastion waved to her.

"Where did the new Slifers go?" Jaden asked looking around.

"Probably back to their dorm," Alexis responded. "Atticus, it looks like you have some competition." She pointed to Bruno who was flexing for some of the girls.

"It just means I have to turn up the charm." He smiled walking over to Bruno.

 _A little while later…_

"This room is a little small." Shun said putting away his clothes in one of the closets.

"It's not great, but it works." Aaron said emptying out the rest of his bag. "Plus, we have something the others don't."

"And what would that be?" Shun asked.

"Well, I made sure to get a lot of tea before we left." Aaron grabbed a jar of tealeaves from his bag and tossed it to Shun. He put his empty bag in the closet.

"Why didn't I think of this?" Shun asked. "I don't even think the others thought to."

Aaron grabbed his tea set and filled the pot with water setting it on the small range in the room. "They probably forgot to or didn't realize that our school is the only one that has it. Either way, they're out of luck." Aaron prepared the leaves and waited for the water to boil. He turned off the range and put the leaves into the pot. He grabbed two cups and stirred the pot for a little bit before pouring the tea. "To Slifers." Aaron said.

"To Slifers." Shun smiled as they clinked their cups. They sat down on the middle bunk together. "This place might not be that bad."

There was a knock on the door. "I got it." Aaron refilled his cup and walked to the door.

"Hey, I'm Jaden Yuki."

"Aaron." He responded. "Shun's in there."

"Hey." Shun waved.

"Hey." Jaden responded. "Either of you guys up for a duel?"

"Sorry, it was a long day. Exams, the boat ride." Shun explained.

"Same. Maybe later." Aaron said.

"That's cool. Maybe later." Jaden said walking away. His duel spirit emerged.

Aaron closed the door. "He has a duel spirit."

"Cool." Shun said pouring himself another cup of tea. "What classes do you have tomorrow?" Aaron pulled out his PDA and walked over to Shun. They started to compare their schedules.

 _Meanwhile…_

Ray finished setting up his laptop as well as a few other electronic devices that he brought from home. "Bruno, you almost done?"

"Yeah." Bruno put a few weights on the floor and started putting his clothes in the dresser and the closet. "I hate having to wear a shirt." He unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it on the bed. "That's better." He stretched out a little bit. "I'm going to go out for a late night run. I'll see you later."

Ray nodded his head watching him walk out of the room. He grabbed the remote by his nightstand and turned on the stereo. He laid down on his bed relaxing with his PDA in his hand scrolling through it.

 _In Paul's dorm…_

"Hard work has its rewards." Paul smiled admiring the large room.

He watched the door open. "Paul, the guys and I are having a little welcome party for you. You coming down?"

"Definitely, that's so nice of you guys." Paul ran to the door to go meet up with his new friends.

 _At the same time…_

Rena, Aria, and Amy were sitting in a circle with some of the other Obelisk Blue Girls all wearing their pajamas. "How did we get into this again?" Aria asked crossing her arms.

"Just by being new and pretty." Rena commented reading a book.

"Hey, put that down." A girl named Jasmine said taking her book.

"Let's just try to have some fun." Amy whispered to them.

"What can you tell us about Bruno?" One of the girls asked.

"He's a very nice person." Aria responded. "He likes to exercise."

Rena saw a blonde girl walk into the room. "Sorry I'm late."

"It's cool, Alexis." One of the girls said. "We're just trying to get to know the new girls."

Rena looked at Alexis. "What can you tell me about that Slifer boy you were sitting with at the assembly?"

"Ooooh, do you have a crush on Jaden?" A group of girls asked.

"I'm actually dating Paul." She responded earning several "awwws" from them. "So, Jaden?"

Alexis paused. "Great duelist, nice guy. He's saved the school a few times. He duels with Elemental Heroes."

"Elemental Heroes, those are cards not used at our school. Bringing the elements together like that can be dangerous."

"What can you guys tell me about Bastion?" Amy asked.

"Amy, do you like Bastion?" Jasmine asked making her blush.

Alexis spoke protecting Amy from answering. "He's very smart and very sweet, but he can be a bit odd at times."

"I'm going to bed." Rena said standing up. She walked out of the room rubbing her head.

"You okay?" Aria asked catching up to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just not used to being in those situations."

"I know what you mean. Amy seems to be doing okay though."

"She's just trying to be brave. She won't stick with them all the time. Goodnight." Rena walked down the hall.

"Night." Aria responded walking in the opposite direction to her room.

 _The next day…_

Ray sat in his seat in the lecture hall not wearing his uniform. His laptop was supposed to be for taking notes, but the earbud in his ear showed other purposes. He glanced up briefly at the teacher's lesson on continuous spells before returning to his screen. He held a pencil in his hand twiddling it.

A student a row higher caught a glimpse of his computer screen. "What are you watching?" He whispered.

"European duel circuit." Ray responded focusing closely.

"Shouldn't you be paying attention?" Another student asked.

"I already know this stuff and the best way to learn more about it is in a duel. Watch." He pointed to his screen.

"What is 7?" One of them asked.

"A continuous spell that works best with three, but can function on its own. When you have three, you can draw three cards. After they're destroyed, you would gain 2100 life points or 700 a card." Ray explained.

"Incredible." One of them whispered writing something down in his notes. He nudged his friend and pointed to Ray's screen. "Fusion Gate?"

Another Ra Yellow nudged him. "Field spell. They act like a continuous spell, but it effects the entire field with its own special spot." He pointed to the card layout on the screen.

"Can we get a bigger screen?" An Obelisk boy asked looking down from his high spot.

"No problem." Ray smiled opening up a window on his computer. "Easy." He smiled pushing enter and pointing to the front of the room.

The lesson projected in the front of the room immediately switched to the duel Ray had been watching on his computer. The professor was not amused. "Who did this!?"

"One two three four is not a secure password!" Ray called out from his stand. The students started laughing.

"Okay, Ray. I'll play. Please tell me one continuous spell card and its effect."

"How about I show you one?" Ray stood up and pulled a card from his deck. "Wave-Motion Cannon. Each standby phase after activation, this card can do 1000 more damage. When I tribute it, you take that damage in full."

"Very nice." The professor smiled.

"He has three 7 cards on the field!" One of the students shouted pointing to the screen.

"Such a complex formula. If you students want to go pro, take this as an example." He reached into his deck and pulled out three 7 cards.

"Very nice, professor." Ray smiled.

The students were enthralled by the duel on the screen. The professor sighed in defeat. "Ray, you win today, but tomorrow, try to pay attention."

"We'll see." He reclined in his seat and put his feet up.

"We'll see indeed." The professor muttered under his breath.

 _…_

Bruno was on a bench-press performing reps while three Ra students stood behind spotting for him. Most of the other students stood there in shock seeing the absurd amount of weight he was lifting.

Professor Fontaine walked over looking concerned. "Bruno, don't you want to take it easy? Maybe a water break?"

"I'm fine." Bruno said placing the bar back. "But if it concerns you, I will take a break." He walked over to the water cooler and took a long drink. An Obelisk boy brought him a towel that he used to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

"So strong." The students murmured staring at him.

"Back to weights." Professor Fontaine ordered regaining control of her class.

 _…_

Aaron walked down a carpeted hallway. He opened the double door in front of him and walked inside. "Sir, you can't see the chancellor without an appointment."

"It's fine." Chancellor Sheppard called out from behind his desk. The assistant nodded their head walking out of the room. "What can I do for you, Aaron?"

"Just letting you know that I'm headed to the abandoned dorm." He turned around walking away.

"I can't let you do that. It's off limits to students."

"I wasn't asking for permission. If I don't come back, you know where to find me. If I come back, punish me." Aaron walked out of the office pulling his hood up and the fabric over his mouth. "I'm only here for Xander. I don't care what anyone else wants. I want revenge."

On his way to the exit, he walked past the library. Shun was in there testing himself with duel puzzles. He looked up from his work to see Aaron walking out of the building. "He's going somewhere." Shun quickly finished his puzzle before pulling up his hood and following after Aaron.

 _…_

Aaron walked into the abandoned building. The floors creaked beneath him. He walked down the halls looking around. Carvings were in the walls and on the floors. He walked into a large room that looked like it was used for dueling. "You're not Rena." A figure jumped from the ceiling landing on the opposite end of the room. "Then again, I could feel the cold air you give off once you walked into the room, Aaron."

"Xander." Aaron growled. He recognized the voice, but not the person. He wore a black trench coat, his eyes glowed red, and dark purple veins were visible on his face. His hair stuck up on all ends. "I see that card has done stuff to you."

"Opened my eyes, given me powers I've never had before. Yeah, it's done stuff to me." He held up his hand and blasted Aaron with a dark energy. "Leave, I only want Rena."

Aaron stood up. "You have me, and I'm not leaving until I have my revenge." Aaron pulled his deck out and slid it into his duel disk. A layer of ice unfolded revealing his duel disk. His life points were shown as light coming from within the ice.

"Fine, I could use a warmup." He smiled dropping his trench coat to the floor. He wore a torn pair of black jeans and a black tank top. Aaron stood there in disbelief. His body was covered in purple veins. A sphere of darkness materialized in his hand it covered his arm making a duel disk form; it looked like vapor on his arm. The duel started with 4000 life points each.

"I'll go first." Aaron looked at the five cards in his hand. "I play Medallion of the Ice Barrier and add Defender of the Ice Barrier to my hand from my deck. I summon it in attack position." The monster appeared on the field with 200 attack. "Next up, because I have an Ice Barrier monster on the field, I can special summon Prior of the Ice Barrier from my hand. I play one card facedown and end my turn."

"Predictable. You always play defense." Xander smirked drawing his card. "You either have Negate Attack or Mirror Force under there, and with your ability, I need a monster with more than 1600 attack to beat you. First, Dark Hole to destroy your monsters." He then looked at the card he drew while Aaron's monsters were destroyed. "You know how you hate fusion?"

Aaron winced at his statement.

"I prepared something special for you. I play Polymerization and fuse Summoned Skull and Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my hand to fusion summon Black Skull Dragon." Aaron shuddered seeing the powerful monster with 3200 attack tower over him. "Now, for that facedown. I play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy it." Aaron fell back from the powerful wind created by the card. "Black Skull Dragon, attack him directly." Aaron was thrown against a wall while his life points fell to 800. "You barely have a leg to stand on. Your move if you don't forfeit."

Shun walked into the room watching the duel take place. He remained hidden behind a pile of old wood.

Aaron drew his card. "I play Monster Reborn and bring back Defender of the Ice Barrier in defense mode. From my hand, I summon Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier. I end my turn."

Xander drew his card. "I'll leave you to it."

Aaron drew his card. He eyed it with a plan in mind. "I summon Sacred Spirit of the Ice Barrier. With its ability, I send Black Skull Dragon back to your extra deck. Now, Sacred Spirit and Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier will attack you directly." His Sacred Spirit struck first reducing Xander's life points to 2400. His Cryomancer struck second dropping his life points to 1100. "I play one card facedown and end my turn." _That card is Draining Shield. I can win this._

"You can't win." Xander drew his card. "I play Foolish Burial and send one monster from my deck to the graveyard." Xander had a sinister grin on his face. "Would you look at that? It's a dark monster. By banishing three dark monsters from my graveyard, I can summon it."

"No, don't." Aaron backed up.

"I've had it in my hand from the beginning of the duel. I banish Summoned Skull, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, and Double Coston from my graveyard to bring forth the first master of the dark." Black aura shot out of Xander's body. The ground started to shake as parts of crumbling structures fell down. "Come forth, Grandmaster of the Dark!"

Aaron fell to the ground. Everything around him grew dark and hazy. He was trying to keep his eyes open. "Stop it, Xander." His breathing grew heavy.

"Grandmaster of the Dark, finish him." The monster held up a hand and shot a wave of darkness from it that sent Aaron flying.

"Still weak. Couldn't even bring out your ace." Xander sighed walking away.

Shun ran over to Aaron and helped him up. "Are you okay?"

"I lost." Aaron mumbled leaning on Shun who was walking out of the building. Outside he took a deep breath and saw the setting sun. Shun looked over at Aaron with concern "I'm fine. It's just a few cuts and bruises." He stood on his own and walked alongside Shun. "Let's go get our homework done and not tell anyone about this."

"No problem." Shun responded.

Aaron fell behind slightly and pulled a card out of his pocket. _Where did this come from? Xander?_

"Did you actually see the master?" Shun asked interrupting his thoughts.

"It was hazy, but it looked like they were suffering. I couldn't tell. Everything went dark…"

"Don't worry about it. It's okay if you couldn't see everything."

 _It's not okay… He can't use its full power. I would be dead if he could…_


	3. Chapter 3

"You can leave when the whole bathroom is spotless. I want to see my reflection in that tile." Crowler ordered. "You committed the crime. Now you're doing time."

"I feel bad for the tile." Aaron mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?" Crowler raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing." Aaron quickly responded. He picked up a toothbrush and a spray bottle and got to work. The bathroom smelled like someone had sprayed fifty different kinds of cologne and stains covered the shower and parts of the floor.

"Good. I'll be back in a few hours. Remember, spotless." Dr. Crowler walked out of his personal bathroom with a wide grin on his face. _Punishing these students is fun. They could be my personal servants if they keep misbehaving._

 _The next day…_

Aaron walked into the school store with Shun. "What are we doing here?" Aaron asked.

"I heard that they sell this stuff called drawbread. You take your chance drawing a random sandwich from the bin. Apparently there's this really good egg sandwich, but there's also a bunch of other stuff like tongue, pizza, fish, ostrich and a bunch of other ones."

"It's too bad that I'm not hungry. Crowler's punishment made me lose my appetite for a while."

"What did he make you do?"

"I had to clean his bathroom." Shun winced hearing that. "I'm fine… mostly. Just take your sandwich." Shun nodded his head smiling.

"So you guys heard about drawbread too." Rena walked over to them. "I also heard that you were punished, Aaron. What did you do?" She tightened her hand around her scythe glaring at him.

"Something tells me that you know." He held up his bandaged wrist and felt the bandage on his cheek; it stung a little bit.

"I want to hear you say it." Her grip tightened.

"I challenged Xander and lost." He immediately ducked down as Rena swung her scythe with incredible speed.

"Watch it." Shun glared at her.

"Relax, I have more control than you think." She looked down at Aaron who laid on the floor. "I can't stay mad at you because I have to assume he used the master on you?" Aaron nodded his head. "Full control?" He shook his head. "At least you got me some information, but now I have to get some of my own." She walked over to the bin of sandwiches and raised her scythe. Several students backed away watching the sharp weapon cautiously. She placed the scythe in the bin and raised it with a sandwich caught on the blade. She held it in her hand and slightly tore the packaging revealing the golden egg sandwich.

"She's good." Amy walked into the room and helped Aaron off the floor. "My turn." She cast her fishing line into the bin and retrieved a sandwich. "Fish, my favorite." She smiled taking a bite of her catch.

Jaden ran into the room. "Golden eggwich, here I come!"

"Taken." Rena turned to him dangling the sandwich in her hand. "I'd be more than happy to exchange it for a duel."

Jaden smiled. "A duel with you and the egg sandwich. This day just got awesome."

"You have to win." Rena twirled her scythe forcing it to power on. "Show me the power of your Elemental HERO cards. I'll go first and give you something to try and beat." The duel began with 4000 life points each. She drew her five cards and eyed her hand. "I halve my life points to play Dark Magic Curtain." Her life points fell to 2000. "With its effect, I summon Dark Magician from my deck. I place two cards face down and end my turn."

"Sweet moves." Jaden smiled drawing his card. "I have a pretty sweet move too. I play the spell card, Polymerization and fuse Elemental HERO Bladedge and Wildheart to create Elemental HERO Wildedge!"

Aaron's eyes went wide. His body tensed up. Shun looked over to his friend. "It's okay. Relax." Aaron backed up against the wall taking a few deep breaths. His body shook. Shun stood by to comfort him.

"Elemental Hero Wildedge, let that Dark Magician have it!"

Rena smiled. "You activated my trap, Magic Cylinder. Your attack is negated and you take your monster's attack as damage."

Jaden's life points fell to 1400. "My Wildedge's blood is pumping hard, so he can attack again! Wildedge, attack Dark Magician!" Rena's life points fell to 1900. "I play one card facedown and end my turn. Get your game on, Rena!"

Rena cringed drawing her card. _This duelist is strong. I need to step it up._ "I play the spell card Monster Reborn and bring back Dark Magician from my graveyard. I activate another spell card called Dedication through Light and Darkness. I tribute Dark Magician to summon Dark Magician of Chaos!" The new monster rose to the field with 2800 attack. "I activate my new magician's effect and bring back Monster Reborn. I play Monster Reborn and bring back my Dark Magician. This is my game!" She smiled at her two most powerful monsters. "Dark Magician of Chaos, wreck his Wildedge!" Jaden winced his life points falling to 1200. "Dark Magician, finish him!"

Jaden interrupted. "Not so fast. I have a trap card called A Hero Emerges. Usually I play this card when I have one card in my hand, but I guess you could say that you forced my hand. The deal is you pick a card in my hand. If it's a monster I can special summon it. If it's anything else, it goes to the graveyard. I have two cards, so it's up to you." Jaden held out his hand to her.

"The one on the left."

"Good choice." Jaden revealed the card in his hand. "This is my ace, Elemental HERO Neos!"

"I'll let you survive this turn with one card facedown."

Jaden drew his card. "Just what I needed! Let's get going with the field spell, Neo Space." The field turned into a multitude of colors and stars. "This is where my monsters excel! I summon Neo-Spacian Grand Mole and I can perform contact fusion with Elemental HERO Neos and Neo-Spacian Grand Mole. Come on out Elemental HERO Grand Neos! With his special ability, I'm sending your Dark Magician back to your hand. Grand Neos, attack Dark Magician of Chaos!"

Rena winced watching her monster vanish and her life points fall to 1700. _How did he think that through? Did he know its effect? Now my Call of the Haunted is useless…_

"Your move!" Jaden smiled.

Aaron slid down the wall eyeing the fusion monster. His mind was racing, his heart felt like it was going to burst through his chest, and his expression was one of sheer terror.

Rena nodded her head drawing her card. "I place one monster facedown and end my turn." She bowed her head in defeat.

Jaden drew his card. "I activate Grand Neos effect and return that card to your hand. Now, let's finish this! Elemental HERO Grand Neos, attack Rena directly." Rena showed no emotion as her life points fell to zero. "That was a great duel."

Her head remained bowed. "Your prize." She tossed him the sandwich which he quickly finished in one bite. "Jaden, I will be calling on you again. I can definitely see your power." Rena pulled up her hood and walked away.

"Cool." Jaden said slightly nervous.

Shun looked at Aaron. "It's over. You can relax."

"I hate fusion monsters." He mumbled standing up. "Xander used one."

"I saw."

"I want a sandwich." Aaron walked over to the bin and pulled out a sandwich. He unwrapped it and took a bite. "Pizza." He mumbled finishing it. "I'm going to go lay down." Aaron pulled up his hood and walked away.

"I never got my sandwich." Shun remembered and walked over to the bin and reached inside. He pulled one out and immediately took a bite. He frowned at the result. "Tongue." He took a few more bites before tossing the sandwich in the trash.

 _At the same time…_

Rena walked down the hall with her hood up her hand wrapped around her scythe. _He won through such powerful fusions. Maybe I will call on him sooner than I thought I would. Maybe I can learn something here._

 _Later that evening…_

There was a knock at the door. Shun answered it and saw Rena standing there. "What do you need?" He sipped the cup of tea in his hand.

"Wait, you guys have tea?!"

"No, it's just the cheap stuff." Shun said sarcastically. He took another sip smirking at her.

"I'm a little mad that I didn't think to bring some, but that's not why I'm here. I'm looking for Jaden."

"Two doors down." Shun pointed.

"Thank you." She walked away leaving Shun who shut the door. Rena walked to the door and knocked.

Jaden was there to answer the door. "Rena, what's up?" He was surprised.

"Would you mind if I come in?"

"Sure, if you don't mind the mess."

"It's fine." Rena walked inside and found a seat by one of the desks. She rested her scythe against the wall. The books looked unopened. "Shouldn't a duelist of your caliber be in Obelisk Blue or at least Ra Yellow?"

Jaden put a pile of clothes in the hamper and sat on the bed. "Studying isn't really my thing. Besides, Slifer Red is the best. We have the best view of the coast, and we get to have the most fun."

"You also have the longest walks to campus, the smallest rooms, the worst food, small showers. Should I go on?"

"There are some tradeoffs, but it's still great."

"Anyway, I was hoping that you could teach me how to fusion summon like you did during our duel. Not contact fusion, just fusion."

"Uh, sure." Jaden reached under his bed and pulled out a box of cards. He rummaged inside it until he found what he was looking for. "You can't do fusion summon without a fusion card." He handed Rena a copy of Polymerization.

She looked at the card. "Thank you, Jaden."

"Wait, maybe you should take this one too, as a gift." He smiled handing her another card.

"A Hero Emerges. This is what you used against me in our duel."

"I bet you could have made a serious comeback if you had that facedown."

"I could have." Rena smiled at the card. "Thank you, Jaden. If there is anything I can do for you, please, let me know."

"Uh, could you tell me something about Aaron and Shun? Those guys never seem to want to do anything."

"Aaron doesn't like people right away, and you're a special case. After your duel, he probably despises you."

"Why? Did I do something wrong?"

"He hates fusion monsters. They scare him. When he was a kid, he was not popular at the school. The other students bullied him. There was a group that used fusion monsters against him. He would always lose to them. He forced himself to be stronger. He shut others out to train. He became cold and distant, matching his ice style perfectly."

"What happened to the bullies?"

"He dueled them for their lives and won."

Jaden looked at his cards. "I can't believe that someone can have that much hatred for fusion monsters." He put them away. "What about Shun?"

"Shun likes games. Not just Duel Monsters. He can take a duel or leave it. He likes to play cards, a couple of board games, puzzles, and some other stuff. If you want a chance to be friends with Aaron, Shun is your best bet."

"Sounds good." Jaden smiled. "Anything I should know about you?"

"I know this sounds stupid to you, but I've always wanted to have a shadow game. I want to feel the darkness of the shadows, and something tells me I will be having a shadow game on this island. Anyway, I have to get going." She stood up and walked out of the dorm.

"These new students are definitely different." Jaden sighed and then looked at his deck. "I'm sure that they're good guys though." He smiled at his cards looking through all of them.


End file.
